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Sunday, May 8, 2016

Writing for adventure and conservation

“Writing is sweat and drudgery most of the
time. And you have to love it in order to endure the solitude and the
discipline.” – Peter Benchley

Born
on this date in 1940 – the same day that future Hall of Fame rock star Ricky
Nelson was born – Benchley made his mark with the his breakthrough novel Jaws,
subsequently made into a blockbuster movie by Steven Spielberg.Several more of his works also were adapted
for cinema, including The Deep.

Benchley
was born to writing, the third generation of Benchley authors.His father was Nathaniel and grandfather
Robert, one of the founders of the famed writing group known as the Algonquin
Round Table.Despite that, Peter
struggled to get his foot in the publishing door and nearly decided against
it.After working as a speechwriter for
President Lyndon Johnson, he was knocking around as a part-time freelancer for
several years before pitching his idea for Jaws,
“one final attempt to stay alive as a writer.” The shark novel attracted
Doubleday editor Thomas Congdon, who offered him an advance of $1,000 to put
together the first 100 pages.

Much
of the initial writing had to be rewritten as the publisher did not like
Benchley’s style, but Jaws was published in 1974 and became a huge
success, staying on the bestseller list for some 44 weeks. Spielberg said he
initially found many of the

characters unsympathetic and actually wanted the
shark to win. Much of Benchley's writing beyond his novels was of conservation of our oceans. That led to the establishment of the annual Benchley Awards, recognizing those who have dedicated their lives and work those conservation efforts.

Shortly
before his death in 2006, Benchley said that while he didn’t have “personal” experience
with a Great White Shark, much of everything else he wrote was based on
something that happened to him or that he knew a great deal about.“Ideas for my stories came to me based on my
life.”As for other writers, he
added,“I read very widely, both
non-fiction and fiction, so I don't think there was any single writer who
influenced me.”

About Me

In addition to years of writing of news, sports, and feature stories, both as a journalist and in public relations, I've authored seven books (and counting :), a one-act play, and three songs. I also contributed to two published anthologies.

My newest book, the historical novel And The Wind Whispered, has earned top reviews around the nation and a Silver Award in the Historical Fiction category at the 2016 Colorado Book Awards. Check it out on Amazon or Goodreads. It also is available ion both print and e-book formats through all major book outlets.

I enjoy public speaking on the topics of “Telling
an Effective Story,” “Effective Communication,” and “Storytelling – From
Journalism to Creative Writing" and have been an invited speaker at recent Historical Novel Society and Historical Writers of America national conferences. You can access an interview with me on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3qNiwWshAM

I retired from Augsburg College (and my wife from St. Olaf College) in 2013 when we moved to Colorado, where I've been working on my books, writing for Broadlands Living magazine, and doing freelance marketing and p.r.